1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device capable of cooking food products in a short time using a lamp emitting infrared light, and more particularly, to a rapid cooking device using infrared light which is capable of rapidly cooking the food product so as to concentrate the emitted light on the food product using a lamp emitting light in an infrared light region.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional heating apparatuses for cooking food products have been provided in a variety of types in the past. For example, there has been provided an electronic range which heats the food product in such a manner that microwaves are generated out of electricity, and the microwaves impinge into the food product, causing molecular motion in the interior product, thus heating the food product.
Besides, there has been provided a device for cooking the food product using a heater, for example, a cooking device using light waves as a heat source. Such a device employing a lamp wherein more than 90% of radiant energy has a wavelength of less than 1 xcexcm cooks the surface and interior of an heating object using visible light and near infrared emitted from the lamp. That is, heating of the food product starts from its surface, and then heat is transferred to the interior by conduction. For example, pizza crusts become fully cooked with crispy exteriors and moist, soft interiors.
For a detailed description of the above-said conventional cooking devices using infrared light and visible light, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,405 (Inventors: Malick; Franklin S.), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,639 (Inventors: Mittlesteadt; Robert A.).
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a construction of a cooking device according to the conventional art. As illustrated therein, the cooking device includes: an outer wall 10 and inner wall 11 for protecting the cooking device; emitting lamps 12 installed at an upper portion and lower portion of the inner wall 11; transparent plates 13 installed between the emitting lamps 12 to pass light emitted from the emitting lamps 12; a platter 15 installed between the transparent plates 13 to support food products; and support brackets 14 for supporting the transparent plates 13 and the platter 15. The above construction will now be described in detail by taking a pizza 16 placed on the platter 15 as an example.
First, when power is applied to each emitting lamp 12, the emitting lamp 12 generates at least more than 4 KW of radiant energy in a visible light region. The generated radiant energy in the visible light region impinges into lower and upper portions of the pizza after passing through the transparent plates 13. In other words, the pizza is cooked by absorbing the radiant energy in the visible light region.
However, since food products have a larger absorption rate in the infrared light region as compared to the visible light region, in case of using radiant energy in the visible light region, there is a problem that it takes longer to cook the food as compared to the case of using radiant energy in the infrared light region.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rapid cooking device using infrared light which is capable of rapidly cooking the food product in an infrared light region so as to concentrate the emitted light on the food product using a lamp emitting light.
To achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided a rapid cooking device which includes: a luminous unit for emitting light in an infrared light region within the wavelength range of more than 1.35 xcexcm at more than 65% of the total radiant energy; a reflecting plate installed at an upper portion of the luminous unit and adapted to reflect the light emitted from the luminous unit to a target product; a mesh unit having a plurality of penetration holes installed at a lower portion of the luminous unit for thereby directly passing the light emitted from the luminous unit and the light reflected from the reflecting plate; and a filter installed at a lower portion of the mesh unit for thereby protecting the luminous unit.